Working at a gym for a few hours a week, I'm typically asked a good amount of questions by members who are working out. After being asked a certain question and having a short conversation with a member, it deserved a post. The conversation in a nutshell- "How do I get rid of this?" (pointing to their stomach). "Should I be doing more of the cardio machines for it?" My answer was simple and honest. I simply said that it takes a combination of things. There is no "one" exercise that will spot reduce the part of your body that you don't like. It takes strength training, cardio and eating healthy nutritious foods in order to see results. They all work together. When I mentioned the eating healthy part they proceeded to tell me that healthy food is more expensive and it was a lot easier to buy the frozen dinner then the expensive steak. Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive, and right there was one thing they were doing to sabotage their results. Below i've put together a list.Ways you might be sabotaging your results:
1. Overeating and drinking your calories. It's important to get in your daily amount of calories but often time's people may not realize when they are eating too much. Starting your day off with a big breakfast is good and will give you energy through your morning, while also getting your metabolism going. But if you aren't eating a decent size breakfast or one at all, that could cause you to overindulge during your lunch. Also throw some snacks in between meals and your calories can add up pretty quickly. I heard an analogy once that I loved. Think of the order of your meals in terms of "king, queen and prince". Breakfast being the biggest and dinner being the smallest. If you are a snacker, this term can really come in handy because by the time you eat dinner, you could have already consumed a good amount of calories during your day. Eating at a restaurant? Your meal could add up to be your total daily amount just in one meal. Most restaurant meals are loaded with extra fat and calories, so be aware. Most places will list their menus online, so check out the menu before choosing.
Also keep in mind your drink choices. Sodas, juices, sports drinks and alcoholic beverages all add up quickly if you're consuming more than 1 in a day. Specialty drinks such as Starbucks run anywhere from 250-500 calories depending on size and type (not to mention the amount of sugar in them). Try to get your calories from food instead of beverages. Next time you have a drink look at the calories and serving size. Chances are there are more than 1 serving in your bottle which means more calories then you see listed.
2. Not eating enough. Doing just the opposite of number one could be hurting your chances of seeing results as well. You need to eat in order to see results. When you don't eat enough calories, your body will go into starvation mode taking energy from muscle and storing more fat. Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the amount of calories you need just to survive. Most people are shocked when they see how many calories they need JUST if they were sedentary. To find your BMR use the following calculation:
Women: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
Once you have your calculation, you can use this website to add in your activity level to get a more accurate amount of calories needed.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/
3. Eating too much "crap" and not enough healthy nutritious foods. This doesn't need much of an explanation. If you're choosing to eat highly processed foods at almost every meal, then don't expect the best results. You can spend countless hours at the gym, but the results will not come quickly or as well if you are not eating properly. Exercise won't make up for bad eating, plain and simple.
4. You're not pushing yourself and working out to your full potential. If you're not working hard and challenging your body, don't expect to see major changes. Our bodies are great at adapting, so doing light cardio or light strength training won't cause major changes when your body is used to walking and bending and lifting things up on a daily basis. It's going to take you pushing yourself and REALLY working yourself to see results. The amount of weight you lift should be difficult enough that by rep 12, you're fatigued. For cardio exercise, you want to aim to reach your target heart rate (beginners can aim for the low end while moderate to advanced can work toward reaching the high end of your target HR). Do the work, push yourself, and see the results.
5. Not seeking help. Let's face it. There is soooo much information out there and thousands of different exercises. It can definitely be overwhelming trying to learn what exercises to do and how to do them properly. That's why us personal trainers exist! To help you learn what exercises to do and how to do them with proper form. We're also there to help you get out of a rut. You may know how to do a few exercises, but you need to always be finding ways to change up your routine to continue to see progress and results. So, don't be afraid to seek out help from a trainer. It's our job!
6. Not logging your workouts, progress and goals. It's important to be tracking your workouts and progress. Logging your workouts will help you see when you need to increase your weight or change up your routine. It's also a motivational tool. If you see your results and progress your making, it'll keep you going and pushing harder. I always schedule my workouts for the entire week so that I have it down on paper and don't have to even think about it the day of. It also helps me to see what I've been doing for the past weeks so I know whether or not to change things up. You also need to write down your goals. Goals are an important factor in your success. You have to know what you are looking to accomplish so that you stay on track.
7. Not working on flexibility and taking rest days. These two sort of go hand in hand for me, as they are both important for decreasing injury. Most people are already on a time crunch, so they skip their warm up and cool down. Don't. Always warm up the body by doing at least a 5 minute dynamic warm up (moving the body) and save your static stretching (holding a stretch for 15-30 seconds) for after your workout. Stretching for flexibility will help you move better, reduce your risk of injury,help improve your posture and help prevent major muscle soreness.
Not taking a day to rest will also increase your risk of injury. It's important to give your body and muscles a break to recover. Rest days are also important to prevent overuse injuries and overtraining. Listen to your body and know when to step back or take a day off.
8. Not training every major muscle group. It's really important to make sure you are training every major muscle group and not neglecting any. Your body should be balanced. Every major muscle has an opposing muscle, and they work together in terms of movement. One should not be dominant over the other. Having muscle dominance can cause injury and poor posture.
That completes my main list of things I feel that people may be doing that slow down their progress or results. Of course a few honorable mentions could also be things like chronic stress, not getting enough sleep and making excuses (whole other topic).
If you find that you're not making progress or seeing results, really think about the things listed above. How many are you doing? Be honest with yourself. Sometimes it does go more in depth then just this list (thyroid issues, hormone issues etc...) in which case seeking out a nutritionist or expert would be beneficial. But if there are no underlying issues, then start eliminating the things that are sabotaging your progress.
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